The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Chevy Smallblock Crank Damper Question

I got my truck in the middle of an engine swap, so I am having to sort through the debris of something half-done.

What is in the truck is a 1964-66 283. Take a look on the front of the crank: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2084927860100598759XtDiZO

Is this the original vibration/harmonic damper and all I do is bolt up the accessory belt pulley to this? It doesn't look like the two ring with elastomer-in-the-middle dampers I see on modern motors.

I will readily admit I know little to nothing about V-8's, so please bear with me as I may ask some stupid questions. Any help would be appreciated.

My next question is this: it looks like this is one of the early dampers that are pressed on but don't use a crank bolt. (See next pic in the album.) What is the best way to get a wrench or bar on this baby to see if it will turn over? I plan to pull the plugs and squirt some WD-40/Marvel Mystery oil/ATF/etc./ in the cylinders and let it set for 3-4 days before giving it a budge.

Again, any help appreciated.

yes that's one of a wide range of dampers you might find on a 283 - with the plugs out if yer careful a big pipe wrench will turn it, or put 2 bolts in holes on opposite sides and use a bar between them - can also use the point of a crowbar prying from the block against the flywheel teeth, anyway you do it if it's really free it'll turn easily

Bill

Bill,

Cool, that's what I was thinking but I wanted to be sure. Thank you much.

From the way that damper look's I'd pull the motor back out and at least give it a gasket/ seal job.I suppose it would be good to see how it run's first but looks like whoever had it before just got a used motor and swapped it hoping it was good.

Grub,

You are right, that is exactly what they said they did--grabbed something out of the junkyard that is "supposed to run".

I haven't even tried turning it over to try to start it, much less do compression (or leak-down) test on it and see what I've really got. I would like to get it running just so it could pull itself in and out of the garage. I am still in the evaluation phase to see what I really got.

It has been sitting for several years. Older gentleman who started the swap got heart trouble, couldn't finish, decided to sell.

Yup check out the basic's first,then worry about the damper and other issues,Why bother to much on a motor that may be no good.

That is not a harmonic balancer- - - -it's either a drive flange for a marine reversing gear, or possibly an accessory drive for a piece of industrial equipment or a farm implement of some sort. Passenger cars or trucks never had that type of crankshaft snout setup, to the best of my knowledge, and I worked on lots of them in the 50's and 60's.

I'd suggest pulling the engine back out, and do at least a partial teardown to see if it's worth investing any money. If it's been sitting that long, it's probably pretty stiff, if not locked up entirely. Cylinders that have the valves open to the air collect moisture, and rust the rings to the cylinder walls.
Jerry

r bo this is joe that is a acessory drive ive seen them before in farm machinery that chevy probly came out of a massey ferguson combine about 1960's timeframe i would be surpried if its not a 327 or even possibly a four bolt main indust block ive even got berings for them still in the box in the shed have fun and be safe p.s. the standard 283 balancer will fit

Please take a look at this picture: http://www.classiccarauto.com/impala/how_to/find_tdc.shtml

(page down a couple of pages and click on the photo for a larger view)

Looks like what I have on the front of my motor and supposedly came out of a 64 Chevrolet.

I'm not disagreeing with anyone, but when I found this pic, I thought my question was answered...

Thanks for the responses and any additional info. Casting numbers on the motor and heads and tag on the carb all point to normal 1964 283 car motor...but there are inconsistencies such as carb, water pump, valve covers, and Powerglide all bolted up with non-OEM bolts...but could simply have been pulled from original motor in a junkyard then other bits added back to make a complete motor.

May not matter much at this point as I'm looking at crate motors as a possible way to go, but I'm sort of curious at this point.